Accountant Spotlight: Matt Tait at Decimal

Our Accounting Spotlights highlight inspirational leaders in the profession who are making a difference for their clients and community. Know someone who deserves to be featured? Submit a nomination. 

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In our latest Accountant Spotlight Series, we're thrilled to introduce Matt Tait, CEO and Co-founder of Decimal.

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His story is one of persistence, innovation, and ethical leadership.

From attorney to small business advisor

“I started my career as a lawyer at a good-sized Indianapolis law firm. I joke that I’m a recovering attorney. After a few years, I really wanted to work in high-growth companies. That’s when I started working in the tech space.”

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Clearly, Matt Tait is not your typical accounting professional. Inspired by his father and grandfather's entrepreneurial backgrounds, he spent 10 years building and running tech companies. With direct exposure to hiring and collaborating with in-house and outsourced accountants, Matt saw the need for an operations-first model—enter Decimal. 

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“My grandpa and my dad both started their own companies. Decimal is my 3rd company. What I’ve noticed is that most companies struggle with their financial operations. As a business, you have to pay your bills, get paid, and track everything, but that doesn’t mean you like doing it. No one starts a business to do accounting and financial operations.” This drive to help businesses do their best work led to Matt launching Decimal in 2020 with his co-founder Jacob Cloran. Together, they ensure that Decimal provides business owners with the everything they need for successful financial operations, bookkeeping, and tax planning. 

A mission to make business ownership easier

Decimal was founded with a mission to make business owners' lives easier. They do that by being a financial operations and tax partner, prioritizing responsiveness and excellence in every interaction. That ensures clients receive the support and expertise they need to thrive. 

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“This commitment to exceptional service is crucial to me because I believe every business deserves a trusted partner dedicated to its growth and success,” Matt says. “Seeing our clients succeed and knowing that we contributed to their achievements is incredibly rewarding, and it drives me to continually raise the bar in delivering value and support.”

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Continuing their innovative path, in 2022, Matt and his partner Jacob Cloran acquired KPMG’s Spark cloud-based bookkeeping service. The two organizations meshed almost immediately with seamless teamwork and solutions. Tax added another dimension to Decimal’s offering to complement financial operations, bookkeeping, and AR/AP services perfectly. 

A commitment to people – inside and out

While Decimal has clients in many industries, they specialize in home services (plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc.), dental practices, and professional services. Matt and the Decimal are dedicated to championing these critical industries as they are often underserved in the fintech and accounting sectors. With this focus, Decimal is proud to help companies that help individuals directly. “We love helping businesses in these industries get back on the job or with patients,” Matt told us. An added benefit to this specialization is that Decimal deeply understand which challenges their customers are likely to face. 

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Matt also credits internal culture for their success. “While I truly love helping companies, the thing I love most about Decimal is the people,” Matt shared. As a remote company with team members based in multiple locations, they are united through core values of ethical leadership, transparency and collaboration, and continuous improvement. 

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Matt’s goal with Decimal was to create a safe, exciting workplace while giving people room to be themselves and grow. He moves fast, but he’s created a company where people can stay for a long time. 

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Finance consulting from a trusted expert

As Decimal’s CEO, Matt stresses the importance of building trust with every customer they serve. “The three worst things about running a company are HR, accounting, and IT,” he jokes. “Business owners don’t want to focus on these areas. They want a trusted partner to handle them for them. This can be particularly challenging when clients have the wrong tools.” Especially in today’s evolving landscape of the accounting industry, Decimal has strategically leveraged technology and their technology partners to differentiate their brand and enhance their client-facing capabilities. They are dedicated to going above and beyond in their services.

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A specific example is a dentistry practice client who was bogged down by a manual reporting process. They were experiencing errors, delays, and increased stress. Decimal swiftly solved the problem by customizing and implementing its proprietary automated financial reporting tool to resolve the client’s unique needs.  

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Decimal also is dedicated to offering their client’s best-in-class solutions such as Ramp. They even use Ramp internally, as well for their clients. Matt shared, “Gone are the days of dreading expense reports and struggling to keep track of receipts. Overall, Ramp has positively impacted our day-to-day operations, saving us time and effort while ensuring greater control and visibility over our finances. We feel all of this ourselves and for our clients.”

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Decimal is passionate about integrating cutting-edge tools and platforms into their daily operations, allowing them to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and deliver more accurate insights to clients. By embracing technology and innovation, Decimal has positioned themselves as leaders in the industry, delivering unparalleled value and service to clients while staying ahead of the curve.

In summary

Matt Tait’s journey has been a long and exciting road. Though not an accountant by trade, he was able to identify and solve the accounting and financial operations needs of small business owners. That insight, gleaned from years of experience as a business owner, is instrumental to Decimal’s success.

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“I find the most fulfillment in providing clients with an unparalleled experience and being a true partner in their success journey,” Matt shared. “At Decimal, we prioritize responsiveness and excellence in every interaction, ensuring that our clients receive the support and expertise they need to thrive.”

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Outside of work, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife Sara, his nine-year-old twins Madeline and Elliott, and his seven-year-old daughter Charlotte. He’s an avid reader, a believer in authentic relationships, and loves cooking Sunday breakfast for his family. He tries to do the right thing in everything he does. Matt put it best: "Life should be a combination of depth, authenticity, and joy.”    

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If you know an accountant who provides exceptional customer service and would like to nominate them for our Spotlight Series, please do so.